3M Open: Brooks Koepka gives big for charity, questions course conditions

Brooks Koepka had a steady opening round at the 3M Open on Thursday, but he wasn’t thrilled with the conditions of TPC Twin Cities afterwards.

Brooks Koepka has cemented himself as one of the greatest golfers in the world today. His major record alone these past two years is beyond reproach, so much so that even a surprising lack of wins in “regular” events doesn’t shake anyone’s confidence in him. Such is the case this week at the 3M Open, where he opened the brand new event as the favorite to take home the title.

Koepka cruised along nicely at TPC Twin Cities on Independence Day, even breaking out the same shoes he wore at the 2016 Ryder Cup to channel some good energy, as well as doing some good for charity.

As reported by Golf Digest, Koepka came across the shoes in his garage at his Florida home, and planned on donating them for his own charity. But the timing of the event in Minnesota was too perfect, and he decided to partner up with the 3M Open’s organizers to make this happen.

"“So I had the idea,” Koepka said. “I called Nike and I said, ‘Hey, I came across these shoes last time we were at the Ryder Cup.’ They made them for us at Hazeltine, and I figured this is a pretty good place to break them out since we’re not too far.”More from Pro Golf NowGolf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning dealFantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player SelectionsBrutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at ConcessionFantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament"

That it certainly was. Koepka surprised tournament director Hollis Cavner with the gift, and the tournament will be organizing an auction to run from Friday through sometime Monday afternoon to benefit the Masonic Children’s Hospital and the Minnesota Minority Junior Golf Association. Koepka will match the winning bid, so there’s sure to be some significant cash rolling around next week.

When it came to his exploits on the course, Koepka made just one birdie on his way to an opening round of four-under 67. He was surprisingly accurate off the tee, hitting 11 of 14 fairways. However, he was only able to translate that into 13 of 18 fairways, and some average work on the greens, comparatively, left him ranked 53rd in strokes gained putting.

This is where things get a bit tricky. Just like last week at Detroit Golf Club, this is yet another course that the vast majority of players in the field had never seen before this week, and they certainly hadn’t competed on it. Some, like leader Scott Piercy (-9) took serious advantage, while others, like Phil Mickelson (+3), struggled to find their way.

In that sense, Koepka certainly felt like he fell somewhere in between, knowing there were shots left on the course while not at all being out of contention. I could certainly understand a bit of frustration in that regard, and that may be what brought about a particularly pointed comment from Koepka after the round.

From the reports I’ve seen coming out of the TPC, it’s not that Brooks is way off base here. TPC Twin Cities is a fine course, but it does get member play, and Minnesota has had an extremely wet, late spring. It’s been raining for most of the last week, and even the best irrigation and drainage systems can struggle to keep up. It’s not perfect, but it is real.

I don’t know if Koepka was making a simple observation, or if he was speaking to how those conditions affected him in the 3M Open first round. Whichever one it was, though, the reality is still the same: every player is dealing with the same conditions, the same weather, just like they do every week on the PGA TOUR. And bad breaks into pitch marks and divots happen every week, too.

We’ll find out more on Friday and through the weekend, especially if these consistent soaking rains can hold off for a few days. Groundskeepers will certainly be taking note of Koepka’s comments, because if they’re accurate, he certainly won’t be alone in that line of thinking, either.

Brooks Koepka has a fantastic ability to focus solely on his own game, and what he can do to make it as strong as it can be for four days in a row. The vast majority of what he’s got going on right now is so good that I have to believe he’ll be able to overcome whatever nagging issues he had with the course on Thursday.

If he does that, things are going to get a whole lot more interesting at the 3M Open heading into the holiday weekend.